Wednesday, March 24, 2010

A Time of Prayer

Prayer. How much faith do you as a Christian put in it? What are your motives behind it when you do pray? Is it important in your life?

If we can read in Scripture about Jesus taking time out to spend with His Father in prayer, shouldn't it be of great importance to us to do the same?

Look at how open and honest Jesus was to God in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemene? He was open and honest with Him too. Did Jesus not ask God to take the upcoming path of being beaten and scorned and crucified away and ask Him if there was a better way to fulfill God's plan of salvation? But what was God's answer to His own Son? It was "no". God told Jesus no. So why do we imperfect humans get aggravated when our prayers are answered the same? When we do not get the response we want, let alone in the timely manner we think we deserve, why do we get angry and throw insults and doubt at God the Father?

God wants us to come to Him regardless of our situation. If things are going great for you, go to God in prayer. If things are not so good and you think your are barely holding on, go to God in prayer. But go in knowing that God hears you. Go not because you want something in return but because you just want to talk to Him and listen to Him. Go because you are excited just to bask in His presence and build upon your all's relationship. Go because you love Him, respect Him, revere Him, follow Him and you want to obey & serve Him. Go to Him in prayer knowing that He hears you and has already prepared the way for you regarding what you knock, seek, and ask. Go to Him knowing that as much as you have rationalized the idea or how much you'd like something to work out a certain way, go to Him with the trust and faith knowing that however the situation works out or whenever things turn the corner, you know the outcomes of the prayers lifted up by Moses and Abraham and Hannah and David. You remember His faithfulness to them and you can rest in knowing that those same things are promised to us.

It is not what we want but what He wants that should be our desire with all things. It is His will that we should seek for it is in relation to this that we will find true peace and joy. It is here we will be fully blessed.

So pray in all things. Pray in honesty. Pray in truth.